About Us • Public Education • Species at Risk • Projects • Other Activities • Membership
 |
The Other Side of the Story- a series of articles on conservation-related topicsWhy Mars? |
|
The Other Side of the Story- a series of articles on conservation-related topicsWhy Mars? |
The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) launch on June 10th of this year was a flawless technical performance. The Mars Rover, called Spirit, came with high expectations along with the high cost. At just over 730 million $US, some say this money could be better spent elsewhere. With so many global problems that need urgent attention, why spend all that money to go to another planet just to look around? After all, we are awash in information already so what difference does it make if we find water on Mars or, though it would be even more startling, evidence of life long dead or still existing? These objections seem to make a good case until you look at the other side of the story.
Exploration is the manifestation of vision. It always takes place far from the mainstream. When Columbus sailed westward there were those who objected to the expensive voyage, yet the discovery of the new world by Europeans was a world-turning event. We are now living in the legacy of that exploration just as future generations will live in the legacy of today's expeditions to Mars.
The technical side of science is being severely tested with these missions. Composed of millions of parts, myriad computer programs and the efforts of thousands of people, the Delta rocket and its precious payload are the most complicated machines ever constructed on this planet. This voyage to Mars is part of the most sophisticated endeavour ever undertaken by our species.
Creation of new technologies, ideas and concepts are needed for every flight. This learning process enables better production methods, more streamlined invention process and information sharing. These improvements eventually make their way into the manufacturing processes which provide us with our everyday goods and services.
Several hypotheses about Mars are being tested with this mission. For example, some say that Mars once had a thicker atmosphere, giving rise to warmer temperatures and a long time-span for life to develop. Others cite different evidence that suggest Mars did not experience these conditions and that life could not have gained a foothold. The key to this puzzle may lie in the presence of water either now or in the past. Spirit is designed to try and answer this question and look for evidence of life on Mars.
The resolution of this issue will have profound implications for the way we view ourselves in the universe. Carl Sagan once said that to know we are alone or not alone, either answer is staggering.
This is the real value of this enormous effort - to use our intelligence to search the mysteries that surround us. To increase understanding. To learn. The impulse to do this is as old as mankind. It is who we are. If we stop reaching out, if we stop going to the edge, the creative flame that has brought us this far will gutter and die.
So, the next time you are admiring the night skies of the Chilcotin-Cariboo, look at the red planet and think about the fact that we have put robots on its surface and are communicating with them. Consider the implications of that astounding feat. Let it give you hope for the future, for without vision and exploration to guide us there is no future worth living.
- Dave Neads
More articles in the series, The Other Side of The Story
Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society
Unit 201, 197 2nd Ave North Williams Lake, B.C., V2G 1Z5
Phone/Fax: 250 398-7929 • ccentre@ccconserv.org • Coordinator: Marg EvansOriginal material in this website may be reproduced in any form without permission on condition that it is accredited to the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society, with a link back to this site or, in the case of printed material, a clear indication of the site URL. We would appreciate being notified of such use. Although care has been taken in preparing the information contained in this web site, the CCCS does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy thereof. Anyone using the information does so at their own risk and shall be deemed to indemnify CCCS from any and all injury or damage arising from such use.
